


At The Bottom

by twisting_vine_x



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Supernatural
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M, Minor Character Death, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 20:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twisting_vine_x/pseuds/twisting_vine_x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When Dean had volunteered as tribute, he hadn’t regretted it for a moment. Not even Sammy’s big hurting eyes could have made him change his mind. If either of the Winchester boys was ever gonna get dragged into this Hell, it was never gonna be Sammy. Dean would rather die bloody than live without his brother.</i>
</p><p>(A/N: Took some liberties with the age aspects of Hunger Games canon [Dean’s twenty-one, Cas is twenty-three, and Sam’s seventeen], and with the relationships between some of the characters [i.e. there’s no love triangle]. Also, I’ve never read the book, so this is all based on the movie.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	At The Bottom

When Dean had volunteered as tribute, he hadn’t regretted it for a moment. Not even Sammy’s big hurting eyes could have made him change his mind. If either of the Winchester boys was ever gonna get dragged into this Hell, it was never gonna be Sammy. Dean would rather die bloody than live without his brother.

It’s a fate, he concedes silently, that’s looking all too possible.

He’s up a fucking tree with a pack of them circling below him, the sun still up enough for him to just barely see what’s happening. Zachariah’s pacing around and snarling orders, Anna’s eyeing the tree like she thinks she can tear it down with her bare hands, and Uriel’s sharpening a nasty looking sword against a rock. The only one who doesn’t seem to be enjoying the situation is Cas, who’s standing to the side and doing a good job of looking generally miserable about everything.

Cas. As if the situation wasn’t complicated enough, the world just had to go and decide that the guy Dean’s been smitten with for nearly five years was gonna be thrown into this death ring, too. Not only does the idea of Cas in the middle of this make Dean feel physically ill – the guy was in training to become a healer, for fuck’s sake – but the last thing Dean needs is to turn this into some romance-under-fire movie in his head. It might provide some nice escapism, but it’s only gonna get him killed even faster.

“Oi, Winchester! Come down now and I promise to make it quick.”

Zachariah. Puffed up like some kind of pompous bird, yelling up from the ground below him, a smirk painted across his ugly face. Dean very carefully tightens his grip on the tree branch, and somehow manages to remain silent. No point in giving the bastards any kind of satisfaction.

“Aw, come on, Winchester. I can either snap your neck, quick and easy, or I run you through and let you bleed. Your choice.”

Dean’s stomach pulls tight in a rather unpleasant way, and he turns away from them and makes himself as comfortable as he can, tying himself to one of the branches and settling in against the damp moss, though he knows he’s not gonna be able to sleep. The only saving grace of this entire situation is that he’s still breathing, and that he hasn’t been seriously injured. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, he’s escaped pretty much unscathed, and that’s more than can be said for the trail of bodies lying between here and the entry to the dome.

“Your choice, then, jackass! Don’t think you can hide up there forever!”

The truth of the words hits far too close, and Dean swallows hard and closes his eyes, does his best to not think about what’s happening below him. What he needs now is some kind of plan, and focusing on how incredibly screwed he is only gonna result in him being dead long before his time.

\- - -

By the time the sun is coming up again, Dean is still screwed. Everyone is asleep below him – except for Cas, who’d switched with Anna for guard duty at some point, and then proceeded to spend the entire sunrise pacing – but Dean is no closer to figuring out how to get out of this situation, and the rise of panic is making it harder to think. He can’t stay here forever. Sooner or later, they’re going to figure out some way to get him, and then Dean’s never gonna be seeing Sammy again.

“Psst.”

It’s barely a whisper, but it makes Dean jolt so hard he nearly knocks himself out. By the time he’s turned around to find its source, his heart is slamming against his ribs, and – it’s that kid. Samandriel, one of the younger ones – god, younger even than Sammy, probably. And he’s up a damn tree not far from Dean’s, his eyes big and wide and his finger pointing at something above Dean, and Dean has no idea what’s going on here – the kid’s carrying a damn bow; he could have probably shot Dean out of the tree by now – but he inhales sharply and lifts his eyes, and –

Oh. Oh, yeah. That’ll work nicely. And when he looks at Samandriel again, the kid’s looking just the tiniest bit pleased with himself, and Dean manages a smile in return, before he unties himself from the tree branch, slings on his backpack, and pulls out the knife he’s been carrying. Cutting a giant nest of hornets out of a tree might well get him killed in the process, but it’s still a better option than sitting here and waiting for the bastards below him to start scaling the tree with their swords and knives and –

He pauses, glances down below him. Meets Cas’ eyes almost immediately – even over the distance, he can see the way Cas’ gaze is fixed on him. And he’s frowning, his head tilted slightly, and Dean swallows around the taste of bile. There’s no way he’s gonna be able to get to that nest without Cas seeing. And that’s… pretty much the only option he had, dropping the nest on those fuckers. Without that, he’s back to being incredibly screwed.

Except Cas, for some reason, doesn’t wake the others. Just stands there and stares up at him, frowning as though he’s trying to figure out something incredibly important, and Dean licks the sweat off his lips. Thinks of all the times he’s been patched up by Cas after getting injured while hunting, and all the times he’s brought Cas a deer or a rabbit, often at the expense of going hungry himself. Thinks of the nights they’ve spent sitting together on Cas’ roof, looking for shapes in the stars, and talking about what they’d do if they could escape. Thinks of the way they had been building something between them before this shit show, and of all the times he’s wanted to say something – wanted to ask if there was something more than friendship on Cas’ end. Thinks of the way Cas has a habit of staring at him like he can see straight through to Dean’s soul, and of looking at him like he’s something precious.

“Come on!”

Samandriel’s voice is still a hiss, and Dean watches Cas for a second longer, wonders if Cas still thinks about those things, too – and then he begins to climb. Makes it up the tree in good time, and by the time he’s at the branch with the nest, he’s shaking, makes himself look down to see what’s happening – and finds Cas staring at him, his eyes blown wide, and his mouth hanging open just the slightest bit. Holds Cas’ gaze as he rests his knife against the branch the nest is hanging on, can’t seem to get enough air – and then Cas, incredibly, nods, and Dean feels it like a punch to the chest. A second later, Cas is picking up his bag and heading into the forest, and Dean takes a moment to just breathe through it before he starts cutting at the branch. He can figure out the situation with Cas if he makes it out of this alive. For now, he has a hornet bomb to drop on the bastards sleeping underneath him.

\- - -

In the end, Dean is out for two days. Samandriel tells him that much, when Dean finally comes to again, with Samandriel keeping watch beside him. Whatever poison was in those stingers, it was really fucking nasty, and Dean knows damn well he’s lucky to just be alive. He gets the full story from Samandriel – how the hornets had killed Anna, how Dean himself had escaped, how Samandriel had managed to find him and care for him – and then they bed down in a cave, gather whatever food they can find and fortify the cave entrance as best they can. Dean only realizes how many times he’s thanked Samandriel for all the help when Samandriel finally rolls his eyes and tells Dean to stop it already and just concentrate on making something edible, and then they pass some time sitting together and just talking and eating, and Dean very vehemently tries to not think about what’s happening outside. Tries to not think about Cas, because he has no idea how to find the guy, and Dean hates that going on a hunt for him is going to mean leaving Samandriel here alone. He’s since learned that the kid is only fifteen, and for all that Dean owes him his life, Dean knows damn well that, if anyone is supposed to be the protector here, it’s not this kid.

\- - -

In the end, it’s their need for supplies that gets Samandriel killed. 

They manage to get some food and weapons, and they take out both Uriel and Zachariah in the fight – Samandriel slits Uriel’s throat even as Uriel stabs wildly with his own weapon, and Dean runs Zachariah through with his knife – but the end result is Samandriel lying with his head in Dean’s lap, bleeding out onto the grass, and Dean is – blindingly angry. Crying for the first time in years, everything white hot inside his head, and that’s how Cas eventually finds him. Crosses the clearing and just stares down at him for a moment, before he puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and together they dig a hole and bury Samandriel’s small body, piling some rocks at the head of the grave and then slipping back into the forest. They leave Uriel and Zachariah to rot, and they make it back to the cave uninjured, and when Dean falls asleep that night, it’s to Samandriel’s voice crying in his ears, and Cas curled up beside him, the only comfort to be found in the hell they all seem to have slipped into.

\- - -

After that, they spend two days in hiding. 

Dean does his best to put Samandriel from his mind – there’s nothing he can do about it, and dwelling is only going to get both him and Cas killed – and he and Cas literally do nothing but sit and talk, taking turns sleeping, one of them always keeping an eye on the blocked off cave entrance. Dean knows damn well there’s probably a camera in the cave with them, so he can’t ask any of the questions he wants to – but the close quarters are answer enough on their own, with the two of them shoved in there with very little concern for personal space. At some point on the second day, Dean realize he’s been caught staring, and that Cas is simply sitting there and staring back – and while homosexuality might no longer be condemned in their society, it’s still not exactly something that’s promoted, and it takes everything Dean has to not just fucking say something already. He’s had it violently driven into his head how fucking fragile their lives are now, and he wants, desperately, to just say something. Instead, mindful of the camera, he simply swallows hard and tries to say it with his eyes, because, god, he’s pretty sure he’s not misinterpreting the way Cas is staring at him, as though something between them has finally hit breaking point under the weight of how little time they might have left – and when Cas actually blushes and drops his gaze, Dean has to remind himself to just breathe. He’d already had more than enough incentive to get out of this disaster alive, but, hell, if he could maybe, possibly, have something with Cas, too – well. That’s added incentive enough to make Dean’s chest hurt. 

And, later that night, when Cas curls up beside him, strung tight as a bow, and then reaches out to take Dean’s hand in his own, pressed in between their bodies and hopefully out of sight from the cameras, all Dean can so is squeeze back, holding on desperately until their shared grip reaches the point of being painfully tight, and god. There is no way in hell Dean is letting either of them die here. Five years of not knowing resolved in a moment, Cas breathing soft and low beside him, his fingers tangled into Dean’s, and Dean is somehow getting them out of this alive.

\- - -

Three days later finds Dean injured, and Cas desperately trying to patch him up, both of them pressed in against the side of a ridge, much too far away from any kind of real shelter, but Dean is – not going to be moving any time soon. They had been ambushed by a group of the others while out hunting, and though Cas and Dean had both escaped, leaving two teenagers dead behind them, christ, Dean’s not going to deceive himself about the state of his leg. That’s an important vein that’s been gashed, and no matter what Cas does, their meagre medical supplies aren’t gonna even near to cut it. And Dean hates this, fucking _hates_ it, because he needs to get home to Sammy, because he’s going to bleed out here in Cas’ arms, because this whole damn situation is so fucking _unfair_ – but despite his best efforts, the world around him is fading, black edging in on his vision, too much of his blood staining the ground underneath them. Clutching hard at Cas’ shoulder, wanting at least that much to cling to before he goes, the last thing he sees before he slips under is Cas’ frantic expression.

\- - -

When Dean wakes again, the first thing he registers is surprise that he’s even alive to wake. The second thing is that it’s dark, the area around him lit only by moonlight, and that Cas is crouched beside him with his knife in hand, both of them still pressed against the rise of earth where Dean had been – how is he even alive? And then he’s glancing at the mess of blood and denim stuck to his leg, nothing but a ragged scar there, at the same time that Cas realizes he’s awake, and the look of relief there is so profound that it actually hurts Dean to look at, makes something inside him pull too tight as Cas scrambles over to him and wraps him in a hug that steals away Dean’s remaining air.

“Dean – thank god – I thought – you were –”

“How?”

It’s all he manages to get out, his voice a croak, his arms going tight around Cas and his heart slamming against his ribcage, and god, he’s _alive_ , and Dean might start crying if he isn’t careful. Instead, he just clings to Cas, warm and solid and safe against him, until Cas pulls away again, though he doesn’t go far, just kneeling there and staring at him as though he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

“You – there was a sponsor. She sent aid.”

“But –”

“I knew they’d be listening, so –”

“You got your sponsor to save me?”

Dean hears his voice crack, feels the world spin all over again. He had never managed to find a sponsor, and that Cas had asked his – had used medical supplies that he himself might eventually need – and how had he even convinced someone to go against her own chosen tribute, anyway?

“She had people – wealthy people – who were willing to pay her to keep you alive. You and I are apparently providing the best show the games have had in years.”

Cas’ voice is carefully devoid of emotion on that one – Dean gets it, with the cameras everywhere – and Dean swallows around the nausea and tilts his head up, knows that this, at least, he needs to acknowledge. Knows that there’s a stranger out there to whom he owes his life, even if her motives may not necessarily have been the most altruistic.

“Thank you.”

There’s no response save for the silent forest around then, and Dean lowers his eyes back to Cas, who’s still watching him like he’s going to disappear, and – god. They need to not be here. They need to find better shelter, and Dean needs to – get them both out of this disaster alive, so he can properly thank Cas for saving his life. Under the circumstances, he settles for placing a hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“Thanks, Cas.”

Cas just smiles, a little weak, and then he stands with Dean, who climbs to his feet and says another silent thank you when his leg holds. He’s barely pulled out his knife, is just about to say that they should move on, when the most chilling howl he’s ever heard tears through the night, and Dean’s blood actually seems to run cold underneath his skin. Beside him, Cas is suddenly the colour of parchment, and Dean swallows hard, moves a step closer, and – fuck the cameras – takes his hand between them, holding on even tighter when Cas squeezes back and turns to him.

“Dean –”

“We’re getting out of this alive. Doesn’t matter what it takes. Alright?”

His eyes blown wide in the moonlight, Cas visibly swallows, manages a shaky nod, and then they’re both turning to face the sound of something in the bushes, and Dean tightens his grip around his knife, reluctantly lets go of Cas’ hand as they both brace themselves and raise their weapons. Whatever this monster is, it’s gonna have to try mighty hard to take down Cas and him, cause Dean’s got some really fucking good incentive to get out of this nightmare alive.

\- - -

In the end, it’s Alistair – trained killer from birth – who gets his knife against Dean`s throat. And if not for an insane kamikaze stunt from Cas – one that ends with both Alistair and Cas down on the ground with the wolves, and Dean in tears as he scrambles to pull Cas back up onto the structure they’d all been standing on – Dean knows damn well his blood would be spilling out all over the place. And as Alistair’s screams cut silent from underneath the pile of wolves, Dean pulls Cas in close and clings to him, only realizes he’s running his hands everywhere, checking for injuries, when Cas grabs hold of his hands and stops him, holds his hands close against his chest and squeezes tight.

“I’m fine, I’m –”

“You crazy _bastard_ –”

“We’re alive. Alright, Dean? We’re still alive, both of us –”

“Don’t you _ever_ do that –”

“Once we’re out of here, there won’t be an ‘again’.”

It’s shaky, but Cas is smiling at him, and Dean can’t see through his tears, because Cas is still alive and – and he only realizes he’s kissing Cas when Cas is kissing him back, holding him close and shaking against him and kissing like he wants to inhale the oxygen clean out of Dean’s lungs. It makes the world tilt in a funny way, makes Dean feel like he’s on fire from the inside out, and by the time they break apart, all Dean can do is press their foreheads together and pant, still holding tight to Cas’ hands, and his heart beat slamming much faster than it’s meant to – and then Cas is pulling back to smile at him, more of a smile than Dean has ever seen from him, bright and genuine and one of the most beautiful things Dean has ever seen, and Dean can’t help but smile back, the sudden wave of happiness enough to steal whatever's left of his breath.

That, of course, is the moment when the dark woods around them suddenly reverberate with the announcer’s voice.

“You are the two sole surviving tributes. Only one of you may leave alive.”

The voice is completely devoid of emotion, and Dean swallows, hard. Tightens his grip where his fingers are tangled with Cas’, watches as Cas watches him wide-eyed in the dim moonlight, and tries to think of something brilliant. Tries to figure out something that will get them both out alive, cause there ain’t no way he’s putting his knife through Cas. He’d rather throw himself over a cliff.

“You have your brother. He needs you.”

Cas’ voice is low, his gaze dropping away from Dean’s, and the words don’t register at first. When they do, the wave of anger is almost blinding, makes Dean’s vision flash white at the edges, and then he’s tightening his grip on Cas’ hands and climbing to his feet, yanking Cas up with him and holding tight to his elbows, keeping him in place until Cas reluctantly meets his eyes again.

“What the hell did you just say?”

“I – Dean. If only one of us –”

“Not an option, Cas. God, don’t you even – we leave together, alright? So don’t you fucking –”

Dean’s voice breaks out before he can finish, and Cas is nodding, his hands coming up to rest on top of Dean’s, and Dean has to close his eyes and just breathe for a second, get himself back together before he can deal with the man standing in front of him. When he finally opens his eyes again, Cas is still watching him, and Dean stares back for a second before he pulls away and turns to face the open sky, well aware of the millions of eyes watching him from the emptiness above him.

“We won’t do it, you hear? It’s not happening, so you can give it up. Show’s over, folks.”

For a good thirty seconds or so, there’s no response. Then, horribly, there’s what sounds like a high pitched scream from behind them, and Dean and Cas spin to find – oh, god. Worse than the wolf pack, even, because a cougar isn’t gonna have any trouble getting up onto Cas and Dean’s hiding place. Slinking along in the dim moonlight, far larger than the wolves had been, and Dean gets it, perfectly. Either they start stabbing each other, or they can both go down underneath the monster slinking towards them.

“Dean. If we don’t –”

“I _know_ , god, just let me think, we need –”

“There is no need for both of us –”

“No.”

_“Dean –”_

“Not unless I’m joining you.”

The words are out without his permission, but he means them the minute they’re there. Something’s burning hot and desperate inside of him – Samandriel’s dying voice ringing in his ears, memories of the City and the monsters who live there, his vision swimming with the trail of bodies littered across the dome – and Dean will not – simply will _not_ – give the bastards who run this hell the satisfaction of playing their game through to the end. It just isn’t going to happen. And when Cas opens his mouth to protest, Dean shakes his head, feels the epiphany him like a blow. Reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the mashed up mess of nightlock berries there. 

“They lose, Cas. This is bigger than us, and we can’t let them win.”

Cas stares at him for a second, his expression twisting into something so painful it hurts to look at, but there’s another yowling noise from the cougar, and Cas closes his eyes before he moves in closer, opens his eyes again as he scrapes some of the berries into his hand. They stare at each other for another moment, and then Cas is reaching out with his free hand to take Dean’s, and Dean blinks away the tears, doesn’t want Cas to blur away in front of him – and then Cas’ forehead is pressed against his, and he raises his hand up to his lips, making a noise that sounds pained when Dean does the same, their hands bumping gently together between their mouths.

“Stop!”

It’s daytime, suddenly, and the yowling from the cougar is silent, the woods empty save for the way they seem to be ringing with the announcer’s voice, and Dean scrambles for Cas’ fingers, mashes the berries together and yanks their hands safely away from their mouths, and then all he can do is hold on tight as Cas chokes out a sob and wraps his arms around him, his breath coming hot and fast and so very fucking _alive_ against Dean’s skin.

\- - -

In the end, they’re still not sure what the full effect of their actions will be. 

The rumour is that the organizers of the Games are in chaos, and that the City dwellers are tripping all over themselves to analyse every tiny detail of what’s happened, but Dean and Cas eventually end up on a train back to their district, the organizers having decided to send them far away from the epicenter of the mess. And while both of them have survived their nightmare with only minor physical injuries, Dean knows damn well that he’s gonna be seeing the bodies of all those dead kids for the rest of his life – but as Dean stands beside Cas at a window, their hands clasped together between them as the scenery rushes past, he also knows that he’s not going to be alone. That he’s going to have Cas by his side the entire way – that they can return to sitting on Cas’ roof and staring at the stars together, that they can spend the nights curled up close together in bed, safe and warm and completely tucked away from the rest of the world – and when he closes his eyes and rests his head against Cas’ shoulder, Cas tightens his grip around his fingers and presses a kiss against his temple, and the ache inside Dean eases enough that he can breathe again.


End file.
